Former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz is convinced that the team should approach the rebuilding of their franchise as a long-term process rather than seeking an immediate solution. The Giants are in a precarious position after ending the season with a 3-14 record. There is no doubt that they’ll need to bounce back significantly in the next few years to regain the trust and dedication of their fan base.
New York’s quarterback position is the obvious problem and is expected to attempt to solve this by taking advantage of the 2025 NFL Draft and recruiting a more suitable QB. Cruz, however, sees beyond this and has detailed his vision for the Giants’ rebuild, revealing that it might take multiple years to complete.
Victor Cruz Places Arch Manning at Center of Vision for Rebuilding New York Giants
In a recent interview on FOX News, Cruz shared his thoughts on the best move for the Giants to make in the upcoming draft and beyond.
“I think we should get one of those veteran guys in free agency, build our roster for another year, be competitive the next year, and then go all in on Arch Manning the next year after that,” Cruz said.
“Now, we accrued a team through the draft and free agency. We have a year of a draft to put the guys in contention, to build our roster the right way, and to build depth in all these positions … Then, we get a quarterback in free agency and see what happens.”
Texas Longhorns backup QB Arch Manning occupies a central role in Cruz’s vision. The nephew of NFL legends Eli and Peyton Manning, Arch is building a legacy of his own in the college football world despite not having a starting position.
So far, Manning is called to the field whenever starting QB Quinn Ewers is injured or falls short. This past season, Manning completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 108 yards and four touchdowns.
Why Cruz believes Manning will provide a lasting solution for the Giants remains unclear, especially since we have yet to see the Longhorns QB as a full-time starter.
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Manning is not yet eligible to declare for the draft, and Cruz doesn’t seem to believe that the 2025 NFL Draft will do much to help the Giants in the coming season. New York initially had the No. 1 pick in the draft until defeating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17 and eventually landing on the No. 3 overall selection.
The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns have the first and second picks, respectively, and will likely be selecting quarterbacks. Thus, Cruz believes that foregoing an early QB selection in 2025 will give the Giants the freedom to boost both their offensive and defensive units.
The Giants won’t be making any significant changes in the coming season, with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll continuing their roles. Several fans are not pleased about it, but Cruz believes it’s the right decision.
“I think, at some point, you gotta provide some continuity, right? You can’t just keep firing every coach. You gotta give some guys a little bit of a runway to figure out if they’re the guys.”
However, Cruz emphasized the need to become competitive in the next season.
“I’m not saying we got to go win 13 games, 12 games, but we have to at least be in a competitive state next year so that the fans can have a better taste in their mouths,” Cruz said.
“I think it depends on what level of suck are we, right? How much do we suck? Are we 3-14 again, or are we 9-8? 8-9? Are we in that middle tier to maybe we’re a couple pieces away?”
Cruz continued, “Now if we’re a three-win team next year, you gotta blow it up because it’s clearly not working. But if we’re that middle tier — 9-8, 8-9, in contention, maybe a Wild Card spot and we’re right there in it, then I have a different taste. Then I’m like, ‘OK, I commit to them. Let’s figure out what we need to get over that last hump.’”
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